November 09, 2023
South Africa: Ubuntu Offers Lessons in How to Treat People With Disabilities - a Study of Bomvana Rituals
Research shows that people with disabilities have always been largely excluded and marginalised in societies across the world. Read more »
Ghana: Ghanaians Don't Trust the Police. A Criminologist On What Needs to Be Done About It
The relationship between Ghanaian citizens and officers of its police service is a tenuous one. Recent reports by the research network Afrobarometer show a decline in trust between… Read more »
South Africa: Tourists Are Returning to South Africa - but the Sector Will Need to Go Green to Deal With the Country's Electricity Crisis
For the past 16 years South Africans have dreaded rolling power cuts euphemistically dubbed "loadshedding". These are caused by the ailing state power entity Eskom's crumbling… Read more »
West Africa: Kora - in Search of the Origins of West Africa's Famed Stringed Musical Instrument
"How come we've never heard of this beautiful instrument until now?" This was posted by a first-year college student to my world music course discussion board recently. He voiced… Read more »
Morocco: Morocco's Artisans Face Uncertain Future After Earthquake
The 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco's Atlas mountains on September 8 killed more than 2,000 people and left thousands more homeless. Parts of the old medina in the… Read more »
November 08, 2023
Nigeria: Concrete Versus Asphalt for Nigeria's Roads - Which Is Better?
Nigeria's new works minister, David Umahi, is pushing for the use of rigid pavement in road construction, as against the flexible pavement predominantly in use. This, as the… Read more »
East Africa: Turkana Stone Beads Tell a Story of Herder Life in a Drying East Africa 5,000 Years Ago
On the shores of Lake Turkana in east Africa, about 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, pastoralists buried their dead in communal cemeteries that were marked by stone circles and pillars.… Read more »
Africa: We Blurred the Gender of Soccer Players and Had People Rate Their Performances - With Surprising Results
During the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the telecommunications company Orange ran a powerful TV ad. It depicts the graceful agility and dramatic goal-scoring shots from French… Read more »
South Africa: Do You Like Snakes, Lizards and Frogs? Why Herpetology Might Be the Career for You
We are so fortunate to share the world with a huge diversity of creatures. For me, some of the most fascinating are reptiles and amphibians. Collectively called herpetofauna,… Read more »
November 07, 2023
Egypt: Egypt's President Faces Election Amid Economic Woes
The bitter conflict between Israel and Hamas could not have come at a worse time for Egypt. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military strongman who seized power in 2013 amid the… Read more »
Kenya: British King Acknowledges Colonial Atrocities in Kenya - Here's What Could Happen Next
On his official visit to Kenya, King Charles III acknowledged Britain's colonial era "wrongdoings". He also paid tribute to Kenyan soldiers who had participated in the first and… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Universities Aren't Training Future Civil Servants for What the Country Needs
Many analysts blame state capture - the corruption of the management of public affairs - for the weakening of state capacity in South Africa. A judicial commission of inquiry into… Read more »
Uganda: World Bank Suspension of Uganda Funds Over Anti-Homosexuality Law
The World Bank issued a statement on 8 August 2023, announcing that it had effectively suspended all new public financing to Uganda over concerns with the country's… Read more »
Africa: What Drives People to Panic Buy During Times of Crisis - New Study Sheds Light On Psychology of Consumers
Fear can cause people to behave irrationally in times of uncertainty. During the pandemic, this took the form of panic buying as people flocked to stores to stock up on essential… Read more »
November 06, 2023
Africa: My Parents Are From Two Different African Countries - Study Shows How This Shapes Identity
More than a third of migration in sub-Saharan Africa happens within the continent. This mixing of people means that some children have parents of different national origins. Yet… Read more »
Madagascar: Madagascar's 2023 Presidential Election Is Crucial for the Island's Future, but It's Off to a Rocky Start
Madagascar is set to elect its president on 16 November 2023, for the next five years. Read more »
Africa: Wildcats and Domestic Cats Coexisted for 2,000 Years Before Interbreeding - Study
You are unlikely to have seen one, but wildcats are still clinging on by a claw in Scotland. Most of the cats living in the wild in Scotland are hybrid cats with a mix of wildcat… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Women Vice-Chancellors - I Know What It's Like to Be One, and Why There Are So Few
The secretary-general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors in Nigeria recently disclosed that only 38 women have been vice-chancellors of universities in Nigeria since 1960, out of… Read more »
Africa: What's Your Chronotype? Knowing Whether You're a Night Owl or an Early Bird Could Help You Do Better On Tests and Avoid Scams
Timing is everything. For early risers and late-nighters alike, listening to your internal clock may be the key to success. From the classroom to the courtroom and beyond, people… Read more »
November 05, 2023
Africa: Growing African Vegetables On Buildings Can Save Space and Feed Cities - New Study
As cities grow, more people need food. However, space for farming is limited in cities. Building facades can offer a solution for growing food. We asked landscape architect Karen… Read more »
South Africa: Wage Gap Is Huge - Why Companies Should Report What CEOs and Workers Earn
Inequality in South Africa is high, whether measured by income or wealth. One of the results is that there's acute public scrutiny of executive compensation. Read more »
East Africa: Birds of East Africa - New Book Reveals Their Extraordinary Diversity and Changing Behaviour
101 Curious Tales of East African Birds is a new book that uses academic research to tell fascinating stories about the tropical birds of east Africa, from well-known species to… Read more »
November 02, 2023
Africa: Social Media Content in Times of War - An Expert Guide On How to Keep Violence Off Your Feeds
Social media platforms are a great source of information and entertainment. They also help us to maintain contact with friends and family. But social media can also - and has,… Read more »
South Africa: Bird Flu Could Be Eradicated By Editing the Genes of Chickens - Our Study Shows How
Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially be used to create disease-resistant animals. This could curtail the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Literacy Crisis - Our App Could Help Young Readers By Using Home Language and English
Literacy changes lives: in Unesco's words, it "empowers and liberates people, ... reduces poverty, increases participation in the labour market and has positive effects on health… Read more »